Laura Langille of the Saint Mary’s Huskies, left, battles UPEI Panthers’ Tamara Tompkins for a loose ball in the AUS women’s basketball tournament last weekend at Scotiabank Centre. Bedford’s Langille will be key to Saint Mary’s fortunes as the team plays in its third straight nationals. (TED PRITCHARD / Staff)

Scott Munro is a pretty smart guy.

When he lost 40 points per game off last year’s team in Justine Colley and Rachelle Coward, he knew his team would have to be stronger defensively.

The Huskies rode that approach to a third straight AUS women’s basketball championship and will represent the conference at the CIS tournament starting Thursday in Quebec City.

The Huskies allowed 51.9 points per game — second only to McGill in the CIS — on their way to a 16-4 regular-season record and top seed for last weekend’s conference tournament at Scotiabank Centre.

They beat Cape Breton 55-53 in the semifinal on a fourth-quarter rally and dropped UPEI 59-51 in the final. The average points allowed was virtually identical to the regular-season number.

“Fifty-one points, that’s what we’re about, that’s what we do,” Munro said as the Huskies celebrated on the hardwood earlier this month.

Saint Mary’s went 22-0 in the AUS regular season and playoffs a year ago and beat Alberta 71-51 in the quarter-finals and Saskatchewan 67-54 in the semifinal. Colley had a memorable 38-point, nine-rebound game to get her team to the final.

With a perfect season in their grasp, Saint Mary’s turned in a stinker in a 71-45 final against defending-champion Windsor. The Lancers celebrated a fourth straight title on their home floor.

Three starters from that gold-medal final — Laura Langille, Angelina Carvery and Katrina Murrell — are back for another try.

Alexandra Smye and Carlie Nugent also return along with rookies Emma Valikoski, Kennisha-Shanice Luberisse and Shanieka Wood playing significant minutes.

Valikoski, a native of Finland, had 16 points in SMU’s AUS title win.

But the team revolves around the smart and steady guard play of Carvery, a third-year player from Halifax who was AUS tournament MVP, and the scoring a defence of Langille, a fourth-year forward from Bedford who spearheaded the championship victory over the Panthers.

“They’ve been in championship situations before,” said Munro of his veteran leadership.

Carvery said tough defence never slumps and it’s something the team can call upon at the nationals.

“It all starts in practice,” she said. “Every day we emphasize defence and playing the next play.”

Langille said the team has been well prepared for nationals by the parity in the AUS this season.

“We’re used to playing close games,” she said. “We’ve been playing close games all season.”

The Atlantic conference has never won the national women’s championship since its inception in 1971-72.